Lindey hadn't mentioned Jace and Tanya would be joining us.If she had, I definitely wouldn't have shown up.It's not that I'm scared to face them—I just didn't want to lose my appetite."Rea, you're here! Now we're all set," Lindey said with a bright smile, pulling me in for a quick hug.It's hard to be mad at someone with a smile like that, but I still couldn't help saying, "Lindey, I thought it was just gonna be the two of us.""It was supposed to be, but then..." Lindey shot a quick glance at Jace and Tanya and pouted. "I ran into them by chance."By chance? Really?I'm not a kid. Did she really think I'd buy that?But if I walked out now, it'd only embarrass Lindey and make me look like I was still hung up on Jace.So I forced a sarcastic smile. "Wow, what a coincidence.""We must be intruding on Mrs. Johnston's time with you," Tanya chimed in.If she knew she was intruding, why didn't she just leave? But no, she sat there comfortably.When I first met Tanya, I actuall
I didn't touch the pumpkin milk drinks and waited to see what the waiter would do.But before the waiter could move, Jace picked up both glasses. He set one in front of me and held the other, turning to Lindey. "Mom, your blood sugar's high. I asked them to make peanut milk for you instead."Lindey looked like she wanted to argue, but Jace was already placing the second glass in front of Tanya.Tanya gave him a weak, almost fragile smile.She looked so pitiful that even I felt a little uncomfortable, and I was sure any guy watching would've been tempted to play the hero.Lindey must've noticed too, because she didn't say anything else.Then the dishes started arriving, all my favorites. Lindey piled food onto my plate like I was incapable of serving myself, making it impossible to keep up.Meanwhile, Jace and Tanya sat there like extras in the background, completely ignored.I felt embarrassed for them.If I were in their place, I'd probably end up with a serious case of indig
Hayden and Ron? Together?And that last name... Hart?All these thoughts slammed into my brain like a freight train.I'd had my doubts before. I'd tried to connect the dots, but they both played it off like I was imagining things. But now, seeing them here, there was no denying it."Hayden!" I called outBoth Hayden and Ron turned toward me.I was half-crouching by the pond, so they didn't see me at first. Ron even nudged Hayden and said, "Who's calling you? I thought I heard—"Before he could finish, Hayden spotted me and walked over. "You almost fell in," he said, reaching out his hand. I thought he was going to help me up, so I started to grab it.But instead, he just scooped me up like I weighed nothing and carried me away from the pond. "Aren't you supposed to be having lunch with Mrs. Johnston? What are you doing here?"Seriously? We were at a restaurant. What did he think I was doing here, feeding the fish?Being swept up in his arms like that left me a little flustere
Jace's tone was harsh."Jace, I get it. Your mom doesn't like me, and nothing I do is gonna change that. I'm sorry you're stuck dealing with this because of me," Tanya said, finally realizing the truth.Her apology was way too humble, almost like she was beating herself up.But what had she actually done wrong? If anything, she was guilty of loving him too much, putting up with all this drama just to be with him."It's my choice to deal with this crap, but stop making it worse," Jace snapped, sounding more annoyed than ever."Wait, Jace, what are you talking about? I don't get it," Tanya said, her voice turning softer, almost like she was trying to appear more delicate."What's going on with Brad?" The way Jace said it made it clear he was blaming her for something."What about Brad? Did he mess up again? Did you have to clean up his mess?" Tanya asked, her voice a little shaky.Jace scoffed. "You really don't know?""Jace, seriously, I have no clue what you're talking about,"
"Excuse me, could you two let me through, please?" I asked, trying to sound as casual as possible.Jace didn't budge, his gaze locked on me. Tanya glanced at me before silently stepping aside, gripping Jace's arm like she thought I'd snatch him away or something."Rea, come on, let's eat," Lindey called out the moment I stepped into the private room, her smile warm and inviting.I slid into my seat, playing dumb. "Why's it just the two of us?""It was always supposed to be just us. Someone else decided to crash the party, completely clueless," she said, her disdain for Tanya—and probably Jace, too—couldn't have been more obvious.I chuckled softly. "If you keep this up, it's gonna put a strain on things with Jace."I wasn't trying to be all noble or anything; it's just that Matthew and Lindey had always been good to me. I genuinely wanted their family to get along."This is on him," Lindey said firmly, not backing down one bit.I'd said my piece, so I let it go and decided to j
I'd failed miserably as a daughter. I knew my parents died in a car accident, but I didn't know a single detail about what happened that day.Lindey's expression shifted, and she gently grabbed my wrist. "Rea, we agreed not to talk about this anymore. It's in the past.""I'm not a kid anymore. I can handle it. Please, just tell me," I said, squeezing her hand back.Her hand trembled slightly. "It's over. Why bring it up again?"I stayed quiet for a few seconds. "Lindey, they were my parents. The only family I had."My parents grew up in an orphanage, and when they were gone, I became an orphan too.Maybe my words got through to her. After a long pause, Lindey finally spoke. "When Matthew and I got to the crash site, your mother was already gone. Your father was barely hanging on. He grabbed Matthew's hand and could only say your name..."Lindey choked up and stopped, and I felt a lump in my throat too.It was like ripping open an old wound, and now I understood why Lindey had b
Lindey put down her cutlery and turned to face me. "Yes, the contract was just about to be signed."It was the same contract I'd found in my father's notebook."Was it because of the accident that it didn't get signed?" I asked, my voice shaking.She nodded.My breath hitched, and I felt like a storm was brewing inside me. Then Lindey sighed. "That contract was supposed to be the first for your father and Matthew's joint venture."Wait, what?I had always thought it was just my father's deal. But Matthew was involved too?"Alan and Matthew worked so hard to lock in that partnership with Thorsten Drago from VastReach Group. They did everything—went fishing with him, raced cars, and he even made them go skydiving," Lindey said, shaking her head at the memory. "Thorsten came from a tough background and was known for playing people."But Alan and Matthew knew they had to secure that deal to make their mark, so they did whatever it took, even risking their lives just to keep him hap
Ron was so chill that he didn't feel like my boss at all—more like a friend.I smiled at him, then turned to Hayden. "You and Mr. Shane seem pretty tight. I've never seen anyone grab lunch with the boss right after an interview."I mentioned it because Steve had told me that the person supporting Ron had the last name Hart.My suspicion flared up again."Mr. Shane just wanted to get to know me better," Hayden said, taking a pause for dramatic effect. "I mean, a $1.5 million salary isn't exactly pocket change."I gaped. That much?I really didn't expect him to be worth that much."What? You don't think I'm worth it?" he asked, straight-up.I rolled my eyes. "No, that's not what I meant."After a beat, I asked, "So, what did you make at your last job?"Fifteen grand a month," Hayden said casually, and I nearly did a double-take. Ron was offering him, like, over eight times that."Wow, he's... definitely got guts," I muttered, not sure what else to say as Hayden raised an eyebr